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We have frequently referred to the aging Baby Boomer generation as a cause for concern for the professionals who serve older adults, many of whom are already facing substantial budget constraints and personnel deficiencies.
Baby Boomers account for 26 percent of the U.S. population, and are crossing the threshold of retirement age at a staggering pace, as 280,000 members of this generation turn 65 every month. Even as the needs of this population begin to alter, a quarter also have at least one living parent whose care they may be responsible for.
What challenges older Americans and their families face
This shift has led countless Americans to take on the role of caregiver for older relatives. Whether caring for aging Baby Boomers or their parents, family members devote approximately 18 hours to this task each week – often while working full-time and tending to other household responsibilities – and the costs of doing so can be substantial.
However, even older Americans who receive this support from their families – or professionals in senior living communities – are susceptible to social isolation, an occurrence that can greatly exacerbate physical and cognitive decline.
What has to change
To prepare for this growing population, care managers and other professionals striving to promote the well-being of older Americans have to embrace preventative measures that focus on wellness and connection to safeguard this community against social isolation and ensure that potentially detrimental changes in condition are identified early on.
How Independa can help enact that change
Independa's Angela interface has been designed to provide caregiver support through remote monitoring, medical reminders and other tools – ultimately easing the burden on care managers and family members without sacrificing quality of care. In addition, Independa's Angela interface incorporates multiple modes of communication to encourage connectivity among this population. All of these capabilities can be accessed through a medium that is found in most homes – the television. With Independa, this commonplace appliance transforms from a passive form of entertainment to an active tool for personal connection, combating the specter of social isolation by empowering older adults to reach out to loved ones and caregivers through photos, videochat, email, Facebook and more.
